SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—The Arizona Diamondbacks knew they had guys who could hit.

Even if there had been some inconsistency in the past, the Diamondbacks knew what their offense was capable of, partly because they have a ballpark conducive to lighting up the scoreboard. Chase Field was the fifth-easiest park in which to score runs in 2011 and ranked 10th in homers.

During its worst-to-first push in the NL West last season, Arizona finished fourth in the NL in runs, homers, doubles and OPS, playing well into its park factor.

Pitching was a concern, though. The team had a historically awful bullpen (5.74 ERA) in 2010 and lost 30 games when leading or tied after six innings, and it entered last season with a group of unproven or inexperienced arms in the rotation. It didn’t feature a true ace, and there merely was hope that guys like Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson and Josh Collmenter would live up to expectations. None was older than 26, and they had combined to make 60 major leagues starts.

Throw in Joe Saunders, who was part of the 2010 trade that jettisoned ace Dan Haren, and some spot starters and the Diamondbacks’ rotation was formidable enough to provide plenty of support for the offense in 2011. Arizona’s starters finished with a 3.84 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, which was fifth in the league. The bullpen was also much better (3.71 ERA).

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This year, the starting pitchers will have to take the next step in their progression to boost the Diamondbacks beyond the NLDS. Last year, Arizona took an us-against-the-world mentality with dreams of winning the division. This year brings a loftier goal: a World Series championship.

“We did what we did last year and we’re not going to be sneaking up on anybody at all,” said Hudson, who went 16-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 222 innings last season. “We all have targets on our backs because we won the division.

“All of us have been playing the game long enough to where we know what to expect. It’s up to us to take what we did and run with it and prepare ourselves the right way.”

Arizona’s rotation is set, barring any injuries or serious struggles that linger into the first week of April. Hudson, Kennedy (21-4, 2.88 ERA), Saunders (12-13, 3.69) and Trevor Cahill (12-14, 4.16 with the Oakland A’s) are the sure bets, and Collmenter (10-10, 3.38) is close.

Based on what those arms did last year, or in the recent past in Cahill’s case, the rotation appears solid. But there are other pitchers lurking and waiting for a slipup from any of the rotation members.

The Diamondbacks have one of the best farm systems in the game, helped immensely by a couple of top-10 draft picks last summer. They also have three of the top 25 prospects (all pitchers) in ESPN’s top 100 list.

Of those ready to make the jump to the majors, Trevor Bauer leads the pack. He was the third overall pick in June and progressed all the way to Class AA Mobile. That sets him up for a quick promotion in 2012 if he performs in the minors and if the big club needs him.

Lefthander Tyler Skaggs, who also was part of the Haren deal, was a first-round pick in 2009. After spending some time at Class A, he went 4-1 with a 2.50 ERA in 10 Class AA starts last season. The addition of a plus changeup has pushed him up the prospect list, making it entirely possible Bauer and Skaggs will pitch in the majors this season.

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“We’ve got some good arms coming up. It’s exciting,” Skaggs said. “It’s up to where the organization wants to put me. I want to build off last season and have another good year.

It’s competition and everybody is trying for a spot.”

Bauer and Skaggs are locker neighbors in the big league clubhouse this spring, and other pitchers just a few feet away are feeling their presence.

“If you have injuries, there’s that depth that makes things easier to cope with,” said Cahill, who came from an Oakland organization that has had its share of good young pitching over the years.

“It also makes you compete and if you don’t perform you could be gone,” Cahill continued. “It keeps you in check and keeps you from getting too comfortable. You always have to work hard and try to improve.”

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